As the kids say, how cool is this? As a business executive you decide
to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside
audiences of yours - behaviors that MOST affect your operation.

What you're doing, of course, is creating the very external stakeholder
behaviors that will help achieve your managerial objectives. Best part
is, you'll actually pull it off when you persuade those key outside
folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help
your department, division or subsidiary reach its goal.

What it comes
down to is this. Your public relations effort must involve more than
news releases, special events and brochures if you really want to get
your money's worth. The right PR really CAN alter individual perception
and lead to changed behaviors that help you succeed.

Here's a public
relations blueprint that functions like your own PR Global Positioning
System: people act on their own perception of the facts before them,
which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done.
When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching,
persuading and moving-to-desired action the very people whose behaviors
affect your organization the most, the public relations mission is
accomplished.

There's no end to the kinds of results that can flow from
that fundamental premise. For example, prospects starting to work with
you as well as customers making repeat purchases; improved relations
with government agencies and legislative bodies; capital givers or
specifying sources making inquiries. And even stronger relationships
with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.

And
don't rule out such results as enhanced activist group relations, and
expanded feedback channels; rebounds in showroom visits; community
service and sponsorship opportunities; new proposals for strategic
alliances and joint ventures; membership applications on the rise, and
almost certainly, new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

Because
your most important outside audiences really must come to regard your
services, operations or products in a positive way, every member of
your PR support team. A variety of results can flow from this
managerial approach to public relations. It can generate follow-on
activity like customers making repeat purchases; stronger relationships
with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities;
improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies;
prospects starting to work with you, and even capital givers or
specifying sources looking your way.

You can even see results such as
community service and sponsorship opportunities; new proposals for
strategic alliances and joint ventures; enhanced activist group
relations, and expanded feedback channels; rebounds in showroom visits,
and membership applications on the rise, not to mention new
thoughtleader and special event contacts.

Because you obviously want
your most important outside audiences to regard your services and
operations or products in a positive manner, every member of your PR
support team must be sold on what you are doing. Be especially cautious
that they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Go over the PR blueprint with
them, in particular the plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions
by questioning members of your most important outside audiences.
Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How
much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you
had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange?
Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

As you
might suspect, the perception monitoring part of the effort can be
handled by professional survey people IF the budget is there. However,
you can always use your PR people who are also in the perception and
behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths,
false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and
any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful
behaviors.

Here, you need to set your public relations goal, one that
addresses the aberrations that cropped up during your key audience
perception monitoring. No doubt your new goal will strive to straighten
out that dangerous misconception,or correct that gross inaccuracy, or
do something about that damaging rumor.

Every goal needs a strategy to
show you how to get there. There are three strategic choices when it
comes to doing something about a perception or opinion challenge:
create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or
reinforce it. By the way, if you select the wrong strategy, it will
taste like horseradish sauce on your brownies. So be certain the new
strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example,
you don't want to select "change" when the reality dictates a
"reinforce" strategy.

Since there is never any rest for the weary, you
must now task your PR team to prepare some carefully targeted,
corrective language. Language that is compelling, persuasive and
believable AND clear and factual. There is little choice here. You must
correct a damaging perception by shifting opinion towards your point of
view, leading to the desired behaviors.

Now, work with your
communications specialists to select the communications tactics most
likely to carry your words to the attention of your target audience.
You can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility
tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews,
newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the
tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience
members.

Because the credibility of a message can depend on how it's
delivered, you might introduce it to smaller gatherings rather than
using higher-profile tactics such as news releases or talk show
appearances.

When you no longer can resist calls for a progress report,
you will have to respond by returning to the field with your PR team
for a second perception monitoring session with members of your
external audience. Using many of the same questions used in the first
benchmark session, you'll now be alert for signs that the bad news
perception is being altered in your direction.

In the event the program
loses momentum, you can always accelerate matters by using more
communications tactics along with increased frequencies.

Again as the
kids say, it IS cool when public relations gives you a choice, one that
lets you alter individual perception in a way that results in changed
behaviors that lead directly to your organization's success.